Teenagers arrested after SWAT standoff in Spokane Valley; sawed-off shotgun seized as evidence

A pair of teenage boys was arrested after a standoff with SWAT deputies that lasted more than three hours early Tuesday in Spokane Valley.

The boys, ages 16 and 17, allegedly retreated into an apartment complex in the 12100 block of East Cataldo Avenue after the 16-year-old fired at a man with a sawed-off shotgun.

Deputies responded at about 1:40 a.m. and surrounded the building. According to a news release from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, the boys could be seen peeking out of an apartment window but refused to come outside.

Deputies evacuated three neighboring apartments and called in the SWAT team and a team of negotiators. State troopers also responded to assist.

“After a search warrant was obtained, SWAT team members decided to create a distraction while the door was forced open, allowing them a better vantage point,” the release said. It didn’t specify what kind of distraction was used.

The boys initially refused to show their hands but eventually complied and were taken into custody without injury, the release said. Deputies found a BB gun and a .410 shotgun with the barrel sawed off.

The victim told deputies he had been visiting family in the apartment complex. The release said he knew the 17-year-old but not the 16-year-old, who allegedly challenged him to a fight before both boys followed him into the parking lot. That’s when the 16-year-old pulled the shotgun from his waistband and fired one shot at the man, missing him, the release said.

The 16-year-old faces a charge of first-degree assault. The 17-year-old faces a charge of rendering criminal assistance and was wanted for violating parole from a previous second-degree robbery charge. Neither of their names was released.

Detectives are still investigating and the Sheriff’s Office asked anyone with information about the incident to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233, reference No. 10061020.